A visionary force with a winning mindset

Hi Philip, you have just been appointed the CEO of Consilium Safety. What made you take on this challenge?

I took on this challenge because I saw the opportunity of building a world-leading industrial corporate group within safety technology – a group that is the undisputed innovator and benchmark. By gearing up from good to great in every dimension, we will realize the full potential of Consilium Safety.

I want us to expand our business within the land, navy and transport segments, as well as drill even deeper into the global marine market. Commercializing our aftermarket services, broadening our industrial gas and flame detection offering and finding M&A candidates are also critical actions for our future success.

What do you consider are the main benefits of Consilium Safety’s offering?

We are a truly global company with representation in 55 countries. Thanks to our network, we can help maximize our customer’s uptime regarding fire and gas safety functionality and give them peace of mind. Ultimately, we provide value by developing the world’s best safety technologies in chosen niches for seamless operations.

Our customer-closeness and service-oriented approach has taken the company a long way and will be even more essential. I am also impressed by our comprehensive and innovative product portfolio.

In your latest role, you were CEO for Adapteo – an adaptable buildings company that grew tremendously fast. What experiences do you bring from that journey?

The Adapteo journey was about challenging ourselves in everything we did. We were always seeking new ways for improvements, which made the whole organization perform a little bit better and faster every day. By combining clear and high goals with disciplined execution, we grew Adapteo from a Nordic business to the second largest adaptable buildings company in Europe.

Everything becomes easier when you know where you are heading. This is critical to making any company successful and something I want to bring to my journey with Consilium Safety.

Philip Isell Lind af Hageby
CEO

Everything becomes easier when you know where you are heading. This is critical to making any company successful and something I want to bring to my journey with Consilium Safety.

Two years ago, Nordic Capital acquired Consilium Safety. What do the owners expect from the company and you as the new CEO?

Nordic Capital has a clear vision for Consilium Safety, and I share their vision. In short, the vision is to industrialize Consilium Safety into a robust and world-leading corporation within safety technologies by developing every part of the company to its full potential.

The way forward will be about improving our commercial and operational excellence, aiming even higher with our R&D ambitions and driving M&A to expand the company into new geographies and product segments. Digitalization and expanding our aftermarket offerings are also necessary actions in our ambition to create more value for our customers. We have to make sure that we are the customer’s first choice wherever we are.

ESG – Environmental, Social and Governance – is becoming increasingly important in business. What are your thoughts on this subject?

The most important thing with ESG is to be true. If you want to make a difference, you must avoid any form of greenwashing and be transparent. Consilium Safety recently decided upon a new ESG strategy, and my impression is that people here really care about living up to high standards in their daily work. I strongly support the strategy and look forward to executing and exceeding our goals.

Two weeks back, I had the chance to visit Global Mercy, the world’s largest civilian hospital ship, together with some of my colleagues. Consilium Safety’s engagement in Mercy Ships, a charity organization that operates hospital ships worldwide, is something that touches me deeply. Being on board was a fantastic experience, and I am proud that Consilium Safety has supported Mercy Ships with the fire detection system onboard.

Detection through sensor technology is a key competence for Consilium Safety. How can you use this knowledge to expand the business further?

We have amazing technology for fire, flame and gas detection. We also have an excellent understanding of customer needs, and we embrace digital development. By combining a customer-centric approach with our technologies and general digital technologies, we can create systems that detect fires even earlier, offer remote monitoring services and further improve our first-time fix rate. Smart innovation is critical for us in our ambition to grow.

Sometime in the future, we are all going to pass the baton to the next person. What mark will you have made on Consilium Safety?

You know, I am a person that feels deeply for the companies I am involved in. I spoke to a former colleague from Adapteo the other day and found myself still talking about “we” and “us”. Even if I have moved on to Consilium Safety, I still feel deeply for Adapteo and all the other companies I have worked for – and I think that is good. Creating a genuine feeling of “we” and “us” throughout Consilium Safety is one mark I want to make.

I also want to hand over a global business based on local presence with top positions in chosen niches within safety technology. Consilium Safety should be – and be considered – the most ambitious company in the industry in terms of customer orientation, operational excellence and innovation based on a genuine understanding of customer needs. With our unique combination of competence, we can maximize our customer’s safety system uptime and give them peace of mind.

However, my journey with Consilium Safety has just begun. I look forward to taking the organization to new destinations, step by step, together with all the talented people in this company. The goals we work towards are long-term, and so is my commitment.